Hell Rising
by EarlFuntomhive
Summary: Deep beneath the dark underbelly of London, there is a demonic plot brewing: a plot to kill Queen Victoria. Ciel and Sebastian are ordered to investigate, unaware that they're involving themselves in something much deeper and much more dangerous than expected. Should they fail to stop the assassination, then the darkest evil of all threatens to dominate the world...
1. Chapter One

**A little disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, nor the characters within it. Those rights go to Yana Toboso. So, just to clarify - no copyright infringement of any kind is intended in the writing of this fanfiction. ****Thank you.**

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><p>Sunbeams gently drifted in through the windows of the Phantomhive Manor as a brand new morning slowly came to life. The fountains outside splashed and birdsong rang clear. A hazy blue stretched across the sky, and only a few smokey clouds here and there could ever hope of ruining the tranquility. The flowers were blooming and the trees blew ever so slightly in the breeze. It was a fine April morning in England.<p>

A butler, dressed all in black, pulled open the cobalt drapes in his young master's bedroom, and sunlight shone onto the bed and onto the sleeping boy's face.

"Young Master... It is time to wake up." Said Sebastian in his velvet tones, as he approached the bed.

A white glove patted the little Earl's shoulder softly, and Ciel Phantomhive, with a slight face of disapproval and general tiredness, hesitantly opened his eyes. Sebastian Michaelis, head butler to the Phantomhive household, smiled warmly as Ciel dragged himself up out of his bed-sheets and let out a yawn, raising his arms above his head and stretching. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and partially shielded his face from the glaring sunlight, frowning in discomfort.

"For this morning's breakfast I have prepared lightly poached eggs and grilled toast, sir." Said Sebastian, whilst pouring a cup of piping hot tea. "Accompanied with a fresh cup of Earl Grey tea, of course."

Ciel looked up at his butler, a look of confusion coming to his pale face. He looked at the silver serving tray upon which his breakfast had been served, now sitting on his bedside table, then back up at Sebastian. "Eggs and toast, Sebastian?" He questioned, "Is that all?"

Sebastian finished pouring the tea and sat the pot down momentarily. He returned his young master's stare. "Yes, my lord... is there a problem?" He smiled innocently, as if all was well and perfectly normal. Perhaps in an ordinary household it would be, yes... but not in the residence of Ciel Phantomhive.

"Usually you offer me much more than this. Much more sophisticated food. Where are the usual scones, too?" The Earl, rising slightly out of bed, looked at the food on the breakfast tray, ever more disappointed at its lack of 'sophistication'. "Besides, I had Earl Grey yesterday morning. I was expecting something else today."

The smile stayed on Sebastian's face as he calmly said; "We had a little... _incident _in the kitchen this morning, I'm afraid, sir." He said nothing more.

Ciel sighed in frustration. "I can only assume one of the servants did something foolish again? It's all they ever do..."

"Yes, young master, I found Bardroy and Finnian-"

"I don't need an explanation, Sebastian." Ciel said, interrupting the butler, and holding up a hand to silence him. He couldn't be bothered listening to an hour long story. "Just make sure you control them better in future. I'd have had them all fired a long time ago, but they're the only people in the whole of England who aren't afraid to work for me. That, and I do trust them to a certain degree, foolish as they are. Don't let this happen again."

"Yes, my lord." Said Sebastian, bowing politely and maintaining his oddly chilling smile. "My apologies."

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><p>"It was Mey-Rin!"<p>

"N-no it wasn't! It was him! Finnie, stop lying!"

Ciel sank into his chair in his study, eyes closed in growing irritation as his servants crashed and banged and roared outside, currently in the middle of trying to explain to Sebastian whom had broken the glass cabinet in one of the downstairs drawing rooms. A cup of Ceylon tea (just what Ciel had wanted - and what he'd ordered Sebastian to make him after breakfast earlier) sat in front of Ciel, accompanied by an unread copy of _The Hound _Newspaper. Freshly bathed and dressed, the Earl almost regretted -as he always did- getting up out of bed simply to listen to the commotion his staff never failed to cause. He had nothing scheduled for the day ahead, anyway. If it weren't for Sebastian's obsession with a bedtime schedule and his constant warnings of how "Young Masters such as yourself need a full night's rest, my lord, no more and no less", Ciel would have crawled back into bed long before now. If, of course, he actually knew how to undress himself and get changed into pyjamas on his own.

Suddenly, all in one second, the hullabaloo came to a halt. Silence reigned. The doors to the study opened and in walked Sebastian, rubbing dust off his gloves. Behind him, Mey-Rin and Finnian lay on the floor in a daze. As always, he smiled calmly and said; "The problem has been swiftly dealt with, sir."

Ciel said nothing, simply grunting and waving Sebastian away - almost as if he were trying to bat away a fly. The butler bowed and left the room, closing the doors behind him. Relieved that he could at last concentrate, Ciel picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip. Yes, now _that _was much more refreshing. He sat the teacup back on the mahogany desk and instead grabbed and unfolded the newspaper. In giant, bold letters on the front page, read the headline:

**DUKE OF ARLINGTON FOUND DEAD**

For a moment, Ciel was surprised and rather taken aback by what he had just read. The Duke of Arlington was dead? Surprising, what with him being a young man in his twenties. He was known for being a sport lover, too, so he was hardly unhealthy. Madam Red always used to talk about how handsome and athletic he was. Had she still been alive today, Ciel could imagine she'd have been devastated by the news. Still, as a moody thirteen year old with a fairly pessimistic outlook on life, Ciel shrugged and turned the page without any real concern. People die. That's life. The Duke of Arlington, like everyone else, wasn't immune to death. The Earl had much more important things to worry about... like what Sebastian was serving for lunch later, and when his fiancee Elizabeth's next dreaded visit would be.

Just a few moments into reading a fairly interesting article about a freak hail storm in India, Ciel heard a knock on the study doors. He sat down his newspaper and, annoyed at being disturbed again, he gave the permission to enter. In came Sebastian, holding a violet envelope with the Royal Seal embossed on it in elegant gold colouring. Ciel instantly knew what it was, and whom it was from.

"This letter just arrived for you, sir." Said Sebastian, approaching the desk and handing it to Ciel, who immediately grabbed a gold letter opener from a drawer in front of him and pried the envelope open, gingerly removing the sheet of white, crisp paper from within with his hand. Looking down at it, he recognised the handwriting as that of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's.

Ciel scanned the letter through thoroughly in silence, Sebastian watching him intently. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked as the young master read, and then it tocked. _Tick... tock... tick... tock... tick..._ The seconds continued to pass, until-

"My word!" Ciel exclaimed, dropping the paper onto the desk in front of him once he was finished with it, his eyes holding a look of surprise, with just a little glimmer of fear.

"Is everything alright, my lord?" Sebastian inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Sebastian, our services are required by her Majesty." Ciel replied, looking just a little bit bewildered by what he'd just read. "...It would seem there is a plot to kill her."


	2. Chapter Two

**A little disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, nor the characters within it. Those rights go to Yana Toboso. So, just to clarify - no copyright infringement of any kind is intended in the writing of this Fanfiction. Thank you.**

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><p>Following the instructions in Queen Victoria's letter, Ciel found himself in the back of a horse-drawn carriage, holding the same copy of <em>The Hound <em>newspaper from earlier that morning. Sebastian sat in front of him, silently watching the young master read the headline article in regards to the Duke of Arlington's death. With Tanaka up front steering the horses, Sebastian and Ciel were headed off on a three hour journey to the Duke's manor to investigate the assassination plot the Queen had mentioned in her writings. Somehow, although she didn't specify the details, there was reason to believe a link between the Duke's death and the assassination conspiracy existed. Naturally, she had deployed her personal guard-dog to investigate further, especially since it involved, as she had written; "matters of the supernatural".

"This article is pretty much useless." Said Ciel suddenly, cutting through the silence as he finished reading. "The majority is just talking about the Duke's accomplishments and the orphanage he founded a few years ago. It's three pages long, and only the first paragraph actually explains what happened to him." He sat the newspaper down next to him, fiddling with the blue sapphire ring on his left thumb as he thought.

"What exactly does it say, sir?" Sebastian asked, his fierce crimson eyes lit up by a beam of sunlight striking his face through the carriage window.

"Supposedly, the Duke was found dead in his study late last night by one of his servants. She reportedly heard bangs and shouting coming from the room, but the door was locked tight. Locals also reported seeing a bright red light shining out of his study window at around the same time. Eventually, worried and distraught, the servant girl had the door broken down when everything had gone quiet. That's when she found the body."

"A red light, you say?" Said Sebastian rhetorically. He frowned and looked out of the window momentarily, clearly in deep thought over something.

"The article doesn't mention the recent rumours about the Duke's involvement in the occult, however." Said Ciel. "Her Majesty mentioned supernatural forces were at work in all of this. Something tells me the Duke's death won't be simply black-and-white."

Sebastian, saying nothing, stared at Ciel as the carriage passed through some quiet woodland. It was obvious he was thinking the exact same thing.

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><p>It was midday when the demonic duo arrived at Arlington Estate, a giant manor house on the West coast. On the south side of the building were thick forests and fields and the long, winding road that the carriage had just travelled along, and on the north side were jagged cliffs with rocky beaches lying far, far below. A few villagers were gathered in the distance by a little stone footbridge which led to the nearby eastern village of Draymill, whispering and chattering amongst themselves as they watched a certain butler emerge from the carriage. He held open the door, and, after waiting for the little Earl inside to get up, he carried him out and placed him down on the ground.<p>

Ciel, adjusting the top hat on his head, looked over to see the villagers (particularly the women) pointing and giggling at him. He frowned. "Sebastian, please don't lift me out of the carriage in future. I can get out myself." He straightened his back and ever so slightly puffed out his chest, trying to reaffirm the little masculinity he had. Sebastian looked down at him as he closed the carriage door and smiled.

"You weren't protesting a moment ago, my lord... I'd even say you enjoy being carried." He relished in the sheer embarrassment of Ciel's expression.

"Nonsense." Ciel replied, giving the butler a glare. He tightened his grip on his cane. "Now, come along, Sebastian. We have business to take care of." He marched forward, and Sebastian followed behind him.

"I must say", said Sebastian as he walked beside Ciel, "this is quite the residence."

"The Phantomhive Estate is much bigger." Ciel replied, looking up at the house ahead with it's more than eighty rooms, "This is little more than a shack."

The pair passed by a huge marble fountain of a tall, elderly woman assisting a little horned man off the ground. She held his hand in hers, and it looked as if she was helping him to stand. Her face, however helpful, looked deeply sorrowful, and the little man on the ground was grinning menacingly. Water poured from the marble woman's eyes, yet not a drop seemed to touch the statue of the horned man. There was something malevolent about it. "What an odd statue..." Ciel commented as he passed by it, giving it a look of utter disgust.

Two automobiles belonging to the police were parked close to the main doors of the estate. A lone police offer stood by them, smoking a cigarette and muttering to himself. As Ciel and Sebastian continue up the gravel path and around the fountain, he looked up and noticed them. For a moment he eyed them curiously in silence, while Sebastian and Ciel returned the stare. It was only when Ciel put a foot on the steps leading up to the front doors that he dropped his cigarette and charged straight towards him. "Scotland Yard! Hold it right there, madam!" He waved his arms frantically and Ciel paused, rather taken aback, wondering what on Earth he could possibly want. Although he could swear he'd just called him "madam"...

The officer, a man in his mid-thirties with tidy black hair and solid blue eyes, stopped in front of Ciel, hunched over, and started huffing and panting and wheezing uncontrollably. Not the healthiest of men, it would seem. "S-stop... miss..." he said whilst trying to get his breath back, "...you... can't go in there..."

"Ah, good day, officer-" Sebastian's words were interrupted suddenly, as usual, by Ciel.

"Did you just call me 'Miss'?" Said Ciel, clearly not amused. He could practically hear Sebastian laughing internally behind him.

The officer, finally able to breathe again, stood upright and bowed. He presented the pair with his Identification Badge. "Officer France Bishop, Scotland Yard! This area is under investigation by law enforcement. Please remove yourselves from the crime scene!"

Ciel quickly pulled the letter from Queen Victoria out of his coat and hastily showed it to the officer. "We have authorisation to investigate on the orders of Her Majesty the Queen." Officer Bishop gasped, in slight admiration, then gave his apologies. "Now, did you just call me miss?" Ciel asked again.

Detective Bishop smiled warmly. "Why of course I did, little lady!" He then stared at Ciel's face, suddenly realising his mistake. "Oh, wait, I see! I'm sorry!"

"Exactly," Said Ciel, clearly irritated, "I'm-"

"Married!" Bishop exclaimed happily. "You're a _missus_, right? Ah, congratulations, girl! Please forgive me, my mistake! To think I called you plain old Miss-"

"I'm a _boy!_" Ciel cried out in utter exasperation.

Bishop leaned down and examined his face. "Really? Ya look pretty girly to me. Oh well, I'm not one to judge the more um..." he cleared his throat, "_feminine types_."

Before Ciel could seize the opportunity to whack the man with his cane, Sebastian ushered him up the steps and said his farewells to the officer. He was forced to listen to Ciel ranting and raving all the way into the estate.

"What does he mean '_feminine_'? Just what is that foolish little man implying?" Ciel continued, far from done. "And who has a name like _France_, anyway? It's a stupid name for-" Sebastian pressed a white-gloved finger to Ciel's lips.

"Shhhh... We are going inside now, Young Master." Said Sebastian. "Please, remain civilised." Ciel stared daggers at the butler, but gave a silent agreement to calm himself. He sighed in a mixture of anger, boredom and tiredness and, with Sebastian holding open the estate doors, he walked in, cane in hand. When Ciel wasn't looking, Sebastian finally let out the amused smirk he'd been trying to hide for the past several minutes as he followed him into the foyer.

The foyer of the Arlington Estate was beautifully decorated. Luxurious red carpets mixed together with gold chandeliers and deep brown tables and chairs to create an atmosphere or regality and sophistication. The tables were decorated with baskets of flowers (which Ciel thought looked rather ill and wilting) and there were various framed photographs of the late Duke with various associates. There was even one of him with Queen Victoria. Despite the well-lit room with it's glittering crystal vases and the upholstered sofas lined with gold leaf looking delightful and welcoming, there was an undeniable coldness in the air. Ciel didn't feel like he belonged there - like something was trying to make him leave and never come back. He took a glance at Sebastian nervously. He seemed normal, if not rather relaxed. Although we was undeniably alert.

On the walls were large surrealist paintings depicting a million different things, yet nothing simultaneously. One painting in particular, the largest in the room, was of what appeared to be a pyramid on fire. In the background, two horns were bursting out of the ground, and trees were melting. There was something about it which made Ciel feel sick. **"HELL RISING"** was engraved on the frame. Most likely the title of the painting, Ciel assumed. Even Sebastian looked at it with deep concern. There was something rather off about it. Something highly unnatural which frightened the Earl's most primitive of senses. Yet, the longer he stared into it, the harder it was to look away...

"Greetings, Earl Phantomhive." Said a voice from above.

Almost as if he were snapping out of a trance, Ciel looked toward the source of the voice. Detective Fred Abberline descended from a huge staircase above Ciel which he had only just really noticed, despite how obvious it was. The _Hell Rising _painting had been the primary focus as soon as he'd walked into the room, so it was as if this flight of stairs had never existed. Strange, thought Ciel, but he dismissed it as nothing.

Abberline leaned over the banister and looked down at the boy. He gave a friendly smile. The smile was not returned. "Detective," said Ciel, "I did not expect to see you here."

Looking relieved at seeing a fresh face, the detective quickly descended down the rest of the staircase, which wrapped around the entire room. Finally, a moment later, he was standing in front of Ciel, whom he naturally towered over. "I had a feeling you'd be popping up sooner or later, sir." Said Abberline. "Especially with the state the Duke's study is in."

"What do you mean"? Ciel asked.

"Well, I can't really say much. You'll need to see it for yourself. Commissioner Randall would have my head if he thought I was running around handing out free information." He paused, bit his lip and looked Ciel up and down. "Especially when it's you, sir." He finished, albeit hesitant.

Ah, Commissioner Randall. He and Ciel weren't exactly on the best of terms. Ciel was well aware the Commissioner hated him, and he'd overhead him calling him a 'brat' on more than one occasion. Despite Ciel's deep disgust for the man, he found him rather amusing, however. Randall's sole reason for holding a grudge against him extended from the fact that Ciel did his job for him (and with much more class, no-one could deny), so whenever he complained outright or grumbled something behind the Earl's back, Ciel knew that he was well on the right track to solving the case he'd been assigned to. An old, pathetic hunting dog. That's all Commissioner Randall was. Nothing more and nothing less.

"Commissioner Randall's here?" Said Ciel, smirking just a tad. "How... _delightful_."

Ciel quickly showed Detective Abberline the violet envelope from Her Majesty. "Ah, you _do _have permission." Said Abberline. "Well, then I have no choice but to allow you upstairs. The study is the second room to the right on the second floor landing. You can't miss it."

He coughed nervously. "...It's the room with the door broken off the hinges."

"Thank you, Detective." Said Ciel, already halfway up the stairs with Sebastian close behind him.

"Make sure to show the Commissioner the envelope!" Abberline called up to him, clearly nervous at the confrontation that was bound to take place between the pair. "Oh, and take care with the study! It's not a pretty sight..."

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><p>"So, my lord, you finally get to be re-accquainted with our dear friend Commissioner Randall." Said Sebastian with obvious sarcasm as he walked up the stairs. "You must be ever so excited."<p>

Ciel smirked as he reached the first floor landing and began heading up to the second. "Without a doubt, Sebastian. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see us, as well. After all," he said, stopping for a moment to look back at his butler, "you know how much he admires us." With that, he continued walking, passing by several more odd paintings and statues, as well as a cat bathing itself on top of a chest of drawers. His eyes widened and he covered his nose as soon as he saw it, trying not to breathe in anything. His throat was already starting to itch. After being called a girl and knowing he'd inevitably be meeting Commisioner Randall in a matter of seconds, the last thing he needed today were his allergies flaring up.

Sebastian stopped in his tracks, being greeted by the friendly ginger tabby with a warm "_meow!_". He smiled, enchanted by the little feline, which most likely belonged to the deceased Duke. "Greetings, my lady..." he whispered to her, stroking the cat's head gently. "You are simply beautiful, aren't you?"

His moment of joy was cut short as Ciel yelled whilst huddling over, trying to shield his face from any stray cat hair. "Sebastian! Leave the cat alone!" His response was a rather upset look from Sebastian. "Yes, that is an order, and no, we're not keeping it. Now hurry up and get moving!" Ciel marched onwards, still holding his breath (and starting to turn purple in the process), fleeing up the stairs. Sebastian said a quick farewell to the little cat, whom he had already named "Mango", and halfheartedly followed after his master.

Upon arriving to the second floor, Commissioner Arthur Randall was instantly visible half-way down the corridor, staring into the ruined study of the Duke of Arlington. The professional clothing and the tall, weathered figure were unmistakable. He turned expectantly towards the staircase upon detecting other people, only for him to adopt a glare of misery and contempt as soon as he realised it was the little brat himself, Earl Phantomhive, whom was currently in the middle of regaining oxygen. To make matters worse, Sebastian appeared behind him, still maintaining that sad gleam in his eye from being torn away from his newest feline friend.

"Well, well, if it isn't Earl Phantomhive." Randall said unamusedly. "Who let you in?"

Ciel, after confirming that it was finally safe to breathe, removed his gloved hand away from his face. "Hello to you too, Commissioner Randall." He said. "Officer Abberline allowed us entry, of course. And I am here on the orders of Her Majesty the Queen... but you already knew that, didn't you?" He gave the Commissioner an ever so smug look, narrowing his eyes and smiling in satisfaction.

"Oh really?" He replied as he sauntered towards the Earl and his sinister butler, "Do you have any proof of that?"

Ciel handed him the violet envelope, and watched as he examined the royal seal in pain-staking detail as if doubting its authenticity. After a minute or two, presumably satisfied, he took out the letter itself and read it over several times, paying particular attention to Queen Victoria's signature. Eventually (and regrettably), he slid the letter back into the envelope and handed it back to Ciel, stating he was forced to accept the Queen's order to allow him to investigate.

"Thank you, Commissioner Randall." Said Ciel as he put the envelope back into his jacket, amused at the man's determination to find a flaw in his character. "Now, I have a few questions to ask you about the incident."

"Make them quick then." Randall snappily replied.

"Where is the servant girl who was here last night when the murder took place?" Ciel asked, realising he hadn't seen her anywhere.

"She and any witnesses from the village have been taken to London to be interviewed by Scotland Yard. You'll have to wait to talk to them."

Ciel was unpleased with this answer. Regardless, he pressed on and asked another, more important question.

In Her Majesty's letter, she mentioned that the Duke's death had something to do with an assassination plot against her. What evidence is there to suggest a link? Or that such a plot even exists?"

Randall grabbed an evidence bag sitting atop a nearby table and handed it to Ciel. "Here's your evidence." He said. Removing its contents, Ciel found the bag to contain a lone book, thin and bound in tattered brown leather. He opened it, skimming through the pages. He was immediately presented with mad scribbles of demons and occultist symbols, all done in red ink. On some pages there was text, hardly legible and written in the same dark red colour. It was hastily written - untidy and uneven. '_Quash the crown!_' read an excerpt from one entry. _'Glory to a new age!' _read another. Despite how disturbing the whole thing was, Ciel still couldn't see the link to some kind of major national conspiracy.

"That's the Duke's personal diary. It was found by local police who investigated the place when he was found dead last night. Turn to the last page. You'll see why this case has become so concerning." Said the Commissioner.

Ciel did as instructed, discovering a surprisingly legible entry. He read it over. Upon finishing, he looked ready to collapse. The entry explained how the Duke had been in contact with forces from the underworld before his death, and how he and his "associates" had a plot to destroy all order in the country. Starting with the Queen, it detailed a plan to derail the British Government and the whole of the Empire and create complete anarchy nationwide. Once this goal had been achieved, it said, then followers of the Demon King (the Duke being one of them) would gather and summon him forth into the natural realm, enabling him to make the world his own personal dominion.

"This is insane!" Ciel exclaimed, offering the book to Sebastian. "Sebastian, read this."

"I don't believe in all this occult nonsense, Phantomhive, and I believe the Duke was merely a deluded madman. Regardless, there is a very credible threat here towards Her Majesty's life and the stability of our Government, and Scotland Yard have an obligation to investigate that. I really doubt that _you_, however, can offer any contributions to this case." Said Randall.

Sebastian slipped the book back into the bag and gave it back to Randall once he was finished reading. "The text is written in blood. The Duke's own, it would seem." He said suddenly. "There is no doubt he was involved with the darker forces of the supernatural realm. I could detect dealings with the underworld as soon I entered the premises. It would seem the Duke very well may have had connections to demons with shared intentions on killing the queen."

"So Her Majesty was right to worry then." Said Ciel, looking fairly worried himself.

"Indeed, young master." Sebastian replied. "If the Demon King rises to the Earth, then it does create a rather... _problematic _situation. The forces of Heaven would most likely retaliate, too."

"Wait, what are you speaking of, man?" Randall cried. Sebastian and Ciel had almost forgotten he was still standing there.

"It's as it explains in the Holy Bible and many other religious texts," said Sebastian. "The darker forces rise to claim the Earth, and the forces of the heavens descend to combat them. Total Armageddon. The battle between good and evil, so to speak. The end of the world itself. Should Her Majesty and her Government come to harm, then this may very well be the future that awaits us."

Randall was stunned into silence as he listened to Sebastian talk. He looked a little panicked, to say the least. However, after mulling it over, he shook his head and dismissed it as nonsense. "Utter rubbish! You sound like one of those damned doomsayers, man! Then again, what am I supposed to expect when a thirteen year old and his carer arrive on the scene?" He stared daggers at Ciel. "Well, you may begin your investigations now. Just don't break anything. This is a crime scene, not a playground, child." Before Ciel could say a word in protest, the Commissioner was off down the stairs, muttering various sentiments under his breath, and none of them good.

* * *

><p>Simply put, the study of the Duke of Arlington was a blood-bath. Blood decorated the walls of the small room like some kind of macabre paint, heavy tomes had been torn and their pages flung around like confetti, and in the middle of all this chaos, in front of a cracked mirror the height of Sebastian, was the outline of the body of the Duke of Arlington sketched on the white marble floor. His body must have been removed before Ciel and Sebastian arrived at the estate. Beneath the outline was a pentagram drawn in black chalk, perhaps the only thing in the Duke's study undamaged by whatever happened here.<p>

"Well, Abberline wasn't lying." Said Ciel, holding a tissue to his face to block out the metallic smell of blood. "This isn't the most welcoming sight."

"Indeed," replied Sebastian, "but rituals like this never are."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "_Rituals_? Is this what this was?"

"Yes." he said. "We already know that the Duke dabbled in the dark arts from time to time. It would appear that he met his death when a ritual backfired. He tried to summon a spectral being of some kind from the mirror, most likely to communicate. However, it all went wrong and the spirit turned rogue. It's not an uncommon occurrence."

"...and then he was killed by the same spirit that he summoned?" Ciel asked.

"It would appear so, yes." Sebastian nodded. "Dark forces have wandered these hallways long before we arrived, sir. I can sense their presence. I am unsure if any remain, however. I propose we split up during this investigation, that way we can cover more ground in twice the time."

Ciel hesitantly agreed. "Alright, Sebastian." He felt uneasy about wandering around these rooms by himself, but the quicker he got out of this house, the better. He didn't like being in here. "Where should we begin?"

"Well," said Sebastian, "the darker auras are stronger on this floor, young master. I propose we focus our efforts here."

"Okay, then. I'll search the rooms on the left of the corridor. You search the rooms on the right... I don't want to be in this study any longer. I'll look for anything else about the occult, or in particular, the assassination plot." Ciel replied.

Sebastian lowered himself, almost kneeling. He placed a hand on either one of Ciel's shoulders and stared into the eye uncovered by the patch. "Young master, should you need me, I will only be across the corridor. There are dark forces at work here. Do not hesitate to call me if you must. Your security and well-being are of the highest priority to me."

Ciel agreed, freeing himself from Sebastian's hold. "Very well, I shall. Now, please..." the Earl brushed off his shoulders and straightened himself up a bit. "...let's get this investigation underway. The sooner I get to steal an award from the Commissioner, the better."

Sebastian rose to his feet, looked down at Ciel and chuckled. "Yes, my lord."


End file.
